Things are much more even in the second meeting between Newport Harbor High and Huntington Beach. They are tied, 14-14, at halftime of the CIF Southern Section Southwest Division championship at Angel Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The game is much more competitive than the one that took place on Nov. 8 at Huntington Beach, where the Oilers won, 40-14, handing the Sailors their worst setback of the year and costing the Sailors a share of the Sunset League title. A month later, the two Sunset League schools met on a wet field.

TWO LOCALS ADVANCE HUNTINGTON BEACH — A pair of players with local ties advanced through four rounds of qualifying Thursday to make their respective men’s and women’s main draw, which begins today at the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals Huntington Beach Open. Newport Harbor High product Ty Tramblie, teamed with Mike Morrison of Encinitas, swept four opponents to earn a berth in the main draw, and will meet Matt Olson of Rancho Santa Fe and Kevin Wong of Honolulu, in today’s winner’s bracket first round.

HUNTINGTON BEACH - Newport Harbor High's boys golf team could not hold on to an eight-shot lead after nine holes against nonleague foe Huntington Beach and lost, 394-398, Monday. Kevin Olson was the medalist of the match with an 18-hole total of 74 for the Sailors (13-2). Scott Tippett (78), Daniel Kush (78), Jake Allenach (81) and Mitch Johns and Pete Watson (87 combined) rounded out the scoring for the Sailors, ranked No. 3 in Orange County. Huntington Beach, ranked No. 4, improves to 11-1.

Tony Altobelli NEWPORT BEACH - With Sea View League play right around the corner the Newport Harbor High girls volleyball team is in the unfamiliar role of student, rather than teacher. Unfortunately for the Sailors, passing grades came few and far between as visiting Huntington Beach pulled out a 16-14, 15-12, 12-15, 15-5 nonleague decision Friday night. "We're just making too many mistakes out there," Coach Dan Glenn said. "Against a team like Huntington Beach and on Monday against Irvine, you just can't make silly mistakes and be successful."

More than 250 personnel from the FBI and local fire and police departments worked through the night at South Coast Plaza Thursday practicing how they'd respond to a terrorist attack. The FBI coordinated the drill that tested multiple law-enforcement agencies and other first responders on how well they work together. SWAT and rescue teams ran through responses to a range of scenarios during the exercise that started after South Coast Plaza closed and ran from about 10 p.m. to 4.m. Costa Mesa, Irvine, Newport Beach and Huntington Beach police all took part in the drill.

A bill that would allow the establishment of a state veterans cemetery in Orange County earned unanimous support in the Assembly's Veterans Affairs Committee, the bill's author, Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva (D-Fullerton), announced. The bill is expected to be heard in the Appropriations Committee next week. Quirk-Silva, who chairs the Veterans Affairs Committee, said in a statement, "Orange County's veterans and their families deserve an accessible location to celebrate the life and contributions of the brave men and women who have courageously served our nation.

With two balls, two strikes and two outs in a 2-2 game, the deuces truly were wild for Fountain Valley High baseball senior Daniel Patzlaff on Friday afternoon. Patzlaff, who wears jersey No. 2 for the Barons, saw a pitch he liked in the top of the fourth inning. It was down and in, but he managed to hit it out to right field. The two-run home run was — you guessed it — Patzlaff's second round-tripper of the season. And it helped the Sunset League-leading Barons earn their second win over Newport Harbor in three days, 4-2, at the Sailors' field.

Corona del Mar High Coach Steve Conti says he was a little bit smarter with his scheduling. Rather than start the season with Los Angeles Loyola again, he decided to push it back toward the end of it. Almost half of his boys' volleyball team plays a sport in the winter, and against Loyola, Conti preferred CdM to be at full strength. After last season's opener at Loyola, where Conti said it looked like his young Sea Kings had never played volleyball before, losing in three sets, the move made sense.

FOUNTAIN VALLEY - Having picked up a key Sunset League victory Friday over Edison High, the Newport Harbor baseball team ventured to Fountain Valley on a blustery Wednesday, hoping to keep its momentum going against the league-leading Barons. The Sailors played on even terms with the third-ranked team in CIF Southern Section Division 1 on a wind-whipped afternoon, but Fountain Valley put up the go-ahead run in the bottom of the fifth inning and made it stand to come away with a 3-2 victory.

Coastline Community College showed off its Newport Beach campus to local high school students Wednesday. More than 200 students from Costa Mesa, Estancia, Newport Harbor, Corona del Mar, Back Bay, Godinez Fundamental and Huntington Beach high schools attended the College Preview Day, according to a news release. The students attended sessions about online learning, financial aid and scholarships, and several classes including public speaking, chemistry, psychology and human anatomy.

HUNTINGTON BEACH - Eleven days had passed since Newport Harbor High last played a Sunset League baseball game. The Sailors resumed league play on Wednesday and they continued where they left off, in a rut. A lack of offense in league has plagued Newport Harbor, which lost at Edison, 5-1. In the last 21 innings in league, one run is all the Sailors have produced. They avoided a third straight shutout in league by scoring in the final inning. Edison starter Noah Kronfly went into the seventh having thrown only 60 pitches, one led to a Sailors hit. Newport Harbor recorded its second and third hits in the seventh, before Kronfly finished things off. He improved to 5-1 and moved the Chargers (15-5, 6-2 in league)

Dennis Baker is inclined to associate with winners. That's not to say he won't help an organization, initiative or individual get closer to victory. But, when that doesn't work, he has no misgivings about cutting loose or moving on. "My energy goes to where I see success," the Corona del Mar resident said. "I like being associated with things that work. I like to think that I'm part of why they work. " One such alliance is with the Newport Beach Film Festival. In 2001, Baker, then a member of the city's Arts Commission, attended an event where he met Leslie Feibleman, director of special programs and community cinema.

Natalie Nielsen couldn't hold back as she walked to the plate at TeWinkle Park. One of her favorite songs played in the background and she started to move and groove. By the time she arrived to the batter's box, the 19-year-old was shaking her bottom and hips, sliding to the left and sliding to the right with her bat in her hands and her body moving to the song, "Cha Cha Slide. " There's a famous line from the entertaining movie, "A League of Their Own," - "There's no crying in baseball.

Political season is in full swing, as are the endorsements. Businesswoman Diane Dixon , a candidate for the Newport Beach's 1st City Council District, has secured the backing of Newport Beach Councilman Tony Petros and city Planning Commissioner Fred Ameri . "Diane is independent, she listens and she's a problem-solver," Petros said, according to a news release. "Those are the qualities you like to see in a council member. I'm looking forward to working with her. " Dixon also has endorsements from former Sen. Marian Bergeson , former Newport Beach Mayor Evelyn Hart , former City Manager and Councilman Robert Shelton , state Sen. Mimi Walters (R-Irvine)